I Was Born for This

CW: MC with severe anxiety, portrayal of panic attacksNot what I was expecting, after reading all of the available [b:Heartstopper: Volume One 40495957 Heartstopper Volume One (Heartstopper, #1) Alice Oseman https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1541887843l/40495957.SY75.jpg 62811229] novels, with their sweet, slow burn romance. I Was Born for This is considerably darker, with a focus on the benefits and risks of fandom for both the fans and the objects of their love. Fereshteh “Angel” Rahimi, whose adoration of the boy band The Ark is the only thing that gives her life meaning, has a much more interesting journey than Jimmy Kaga-Ricci, the band member and other POV character, who can't understand why achieving the fame and fortune he dreamed of isn't making him happy. The two MCs are on a collision course with each other, and although their time together is very brief, they both emerge significantly changed. The secondary characters, especially the two girls who Angel meets, are extremely engaging, and it's nice to see some helpful parental figures (the author is the same age as my youngest child, so I admit to being quite a bit outside of the target demographic). Plus I liked the fact that although Jimmy is trans, his queerness is not a central plot point. This isn't the story of two boy band members who are secretly in love with each other. Neither is it the story of a boy band member who falls in love with a fan. It's a messy story about growing up and realizing your own value, whether you're a superstar with a million screaming fans or an ordinary teenaged girl with a mediocre report card and no idea what comes next.